¨¨.~/*$§@#                                          #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨.~/*$§@##                                          ##@§$*/~.¨
¨¨.~/*$§@#                                          #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@                                          @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§                                          §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~/*$               WINDS ESKER                $*/~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@                                          @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨.~/*$§@# THERE WAS THIS  PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨.~/*$§@## I COULDN'T  GO  TO. REGARDLESS  HOW MUCH ##@§$*/~.¨
¨¨.~/*$§@# DISCUSSED  WITH OTHERS,  OR POINTED  OUT #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ ON MAPS, I  COULD  NOT  THINK OF IT WHEN @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ ALONE. I  WOULD  OFTEN TRAVEL  PAST  THE §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~/*$ FORK,  WHERE A  RIGHT  TURN WOULD SURELY $*/~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ TAKE ME THERE,  BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@               KEPT ME AWAY.              @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨.~/*$§@#                                          #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨.~/*$§@## WHEN I FINALLY  GOT  THERE,  AFTER  SOME ##@§$*/~.¨
¨¨.~/*$§@#     HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST     #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ ASSUME,   THE  PLACE  WAS  SURREAL.   AN @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ ESKER, LIKE  A  NEEDLE-THIN RIFT OUT  IN §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~/*$ THE  LAKE,  BUT  TEN  METERS   HIGH  AND $*/~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ ADORNED IN  BIRCH, WILLOW, BRACKEN,  AND §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@               BLUEBERRIES.               @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨.~/*$§@#                                          #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨.~/*$§@## WALKING  ATOP  THAT  SPINE,  I  CAME  TO ##@§$*/~.¨
¨¨.~/*$§@# NOTICE THE  VIEW  TO EITHER SIDE.  THERE #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ SHOULD  BE  SHORES,  OF  COURSE,  BUT  I @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ DIDN'T RECOGNIZE  THEM. FIRST OFF,  THEY §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~/*$ WERE MUCH TOO CLOSE,  AS THE LAKE SHOULD $*/~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ STRETCH FOR A  HUNDRED  METERS  MORE  ON §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ BOTH  SIDES.  BUT  NOW I  FELT  I  COULD @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨.~/*$§@# ALMOST  REACH  OUT AND  TOUCH THEM.  AND #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨.~/*$§@## THEN, WHEN  I REALIZED WHICH SHORES THEY ##@§$*/~.¨
¨¨.~/*$§@#           WERE, I HAD TO STOP.           #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@                                          @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ THEY  WERE OF  THE RIGHT  LAKE. BUT THIS §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~/*$      LAKE IS LARGE, FRACTURED, AND       $*/~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ BIPARTITE.  LIKE A PAIR OF  LUNGS CARVED §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ INTO  THE GRANITE, AND WITH NO LESS THAN @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨.~/*$§@#   FIVE COMMUNITIES ANCHORED AT VARIOUS   #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨.~/*$§@##      POINTS. AND SO, STUDYING THESE      ##@§$*/~.¨
¨¨.~/*$§@#    IMPOSSIBLY CLOSE SHORES, I SLOWLY     #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ UNDERSTOOD THEM AS  BELONGING MANY MILES @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§                  AWAY.                   §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~/*$                                          $*/~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ I  EXAMINED   THE  RIDGE,  THE  TREELINE §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ ABOVE.  WAS THIS WHAT YOU SAW  OPPOSITE, @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨.~/*$§@# FROM  THOSE  OTHER  SHORES?  I  COULDN'T #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨.~/*$§@##                REMEMBER.                 ##@§$*/~.¨
¨¨.~/*$§@#                                          #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ CARRYING  FORWARD,  ON THE VERY  TIP  OF @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ THE  ESKER,  I FOUND THE RUINS  OF  SOME §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~/*$    OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN    $*/~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH  §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ THE MOSS,  AND  STRANGE  SLABS  INSERTED @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨.~/*$§@# INTO  THE SLOPE LIKE  DAMS  AGAINST  THE #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨.~/*$§@##              GROUND ITSELF.              ##@§$*/~.¨
¨¨.~/*$§@#                                          #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ SITTING THERE,  I COULD SEE  ACROSS  THE @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ NARROWED  LAKE MY ENTIRE PATH TO WHERE I §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~/*$ SAT: FROM  THE  STAIRWELL  OF MY  HOUSE, $*/~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ THROUGH  THE OLD WOODS BEHIND  THE  TILE §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@      FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE      @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨.~/*$§@# TWENTY THREE  AND  THEN BACK  UNDER  IT, #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨.~/*$§@## THROUGH  THE   FANCY  VILLAS,  OVER  THE ##@§$*/~.¨
¨¨.~/*$§@# FIELDS, AND THEN THAT RIGHT  TURN AT THE #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@                  FORK.                   @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§                                          §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~/*$ AND THEN  THE  STAIRS  UP  ON THE RIDGE. $*/~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ THINKING  BACK, THIS  WAS  PROBABLY  IT. §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ HIDDEN IN  A  GROVE, THERE  WERE  STAIRS @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨.~/*$§@# MUCH LIKE THE  ONES I  CURRENTLY SAT ON, #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨.~/*$§@## OLD  AND WORN  DOWN, THAT  LEAD  YOU  UP ##@§$*/~.¨
¨¨.~/*$§@# ONTO THE ESKER. THE  POINT OF ENTRY. HAD #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ I  INSTED OPTED  TO WALK THE PATH AT ITS @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§ FOOT, I'M SURE  MY  EXPERIENCE  WOULD'VE §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~/*$          BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED.          $*/~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§                                          §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨.~/*$§@#                                          #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨.~/*$§@## ON  THE  LAKE,  THERE  WERE  PEOPLE   IN ##@§$*/~.¨
¨¨.~/*$§@# BOATS. I  WONDERED,  COULD THEY EVEN SEE #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@ ME? IF I  SHOUTED,  WOULD  THEY  TURN TO @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§         STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?          §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~/*$                                          $*/~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/*$§                                          §$*/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.~/*$§@                                          @§$*/~.¨¨¨
¨¨.~/*$§@#                                          #@§$*/~.¨¨
¨.~/*$§@##                                          ##@§$*/~.¨